New exit ramp opens on I-295 to Blanding Boulevard | Transportation

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A new exit ramp on I-295 southbound to Blanding Boulevard opened today.

Drivers will be using a new service road near Morse Avenue. It is about 1.5 miles from the old Blanding Blvd. exit, which will remain permanently closed.

The Department if Transportation constructed the new shift in hopes of alleviating congestion on I-295 at the Blanding and Collins Road exits by separating local traffic using the new service roads from through traffic.

The DOT will soon begin work on the second service road near Collins Road

This is all part if a $63.4 million project that started in February 2011. The DOT said it should be finished by the end of the year.